Good Girls Love Bad Boys
by XxXBeautifulXxXDreamerXxX
Summary: Alice Longbottom has always been a good girl. She never stepped out of line, and never ever dated boys who played around with girls' feelings. James Potter was the exact opposite, he was a bad boy who got everything he wanted. Well, everything he wanted except Alice. When she starts dating good boy Carver Jenkins, James can't stand it. Will he change his ways for her or lose her?
1. The Gala

**I absolutely love the though of Neville's daughter loving one of Harry's sons. So this story came out of that thought, I hope you guys like it :)**

**I own nothing but Alice and Carver, the rest belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**There's a link to all of my characters and Alice's clothes on my profile, go check it out if you're interested. **

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I held the bottom of my dress in my hands as I stepped through the garden barefoot. My heels were dangling from my other hand, but they hurt my feet too much to wear. I wasn't much of a Gala girl, I only came because Harry and Ron were being celebrated and they were two of dad's best friends.

My dad was Neville Longbottom and my mum was Hannah Abbott-Longbottom. I looked a lot like her and my grandmum. At least, that's what I've heard from dad. I never got to meet grandmum or granddad, they both died before I was seven years old. I couldn't really remember what they looked like.

I finally found a stone bench to sit on outside. I dropped the skirt of my dress and sat down, leaning back a little to let the moon wash over my face. I'd danced with more than a couple of boys that dad thought I should be friends with. They were all painfully boring, so much so that I'd snuck out.

"Hey bookworm, I was curious where you'd snuck out to," a voice said form the darkness behind me, making me jump.

James Potter appeared out of the darkness and sat next to me on the bench. His hair was its usual disarray on top of his head and his tie was loosened around his neck. I hadn't really seen him much at the Gala, but then again I hadn't had a moment to myself the entire night with all the _suitors _going after me.

"Hello Potter, I didn't see you in there," I said, pushing my hair over my shoulder an straightening out my neck.

"I'd say not with all of those guys you dance with tonight. Did you even have a moment alone?" he asked, taking a curl of mine and wrapping it around his finger. "I don't blame them though, you look bloody gorgeous tonight."

I looked at him and shook my head, pulling my curl out of his grip. "I don't even want to hear it, Potter. How many girls have you shagged in the last month? Probably more than I've ever even talked to."

"Why do you have to be like that, Alice? You know I'd stop all of that if you'd give me a chance. You're the one I've always wanted, love," he said, sliding closer to me.

"You only want me because I don't want you, Potter. I know you like the chase, but the moment I give in you'll get bored," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

He just laughed and shook his head. "I would never get bored of you, Alice Longbottom. You're something I would find a new reason to love every day."

When he said things like that, all I wanted to do was let him in. I knew better than to do that, I knew he said that to every girl he shared a bed with. The mere thought of that made me slide away from him and slip my feet back into my heels.

"You say that to every girl that you share your bed with, James Potter!" I hissed, standing quickly and grabbing my skirt again. "I'm not just another skirt for you to chase! I have morals."

I huffed before making my way back into the Hall. I felt tears burning the back of my eyes, but I refused to cry because of him. I wasn't that kind of girl; I was a smart, independent girl who didn't need a boy.

"Hey baby, what's got you so upset? Did one of those boys try something with you because I'll hex them to bits," mum said, placing a hand on my lower back and steering me towards a table.

I smiled and wiped the few tears that had escaped. "No, I'm just a little bit torn right now, I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it, love?" she asked, brushing my hair out of my face. "I'm always here for you."

I hugged her close to me and felt her kiss the side of my head. I spent the rest of the night dancing with her and acting like we were both teenagers. She and I had always been really close, almost like sisters. I was close with dad too, don't get me wrong, but he saw me as his little girl so it wasn't the same. Mum treated me like an adult, trusting me to make my own decisions.

I held dad's hand as he apparated us home. I took off my dress, jewelry, makeup, and heels before pulling on pajamas. I kissed both my parents goodnight before heading upstairs to go to bed for the night. It was about midnight when we got home and going on one o'clock right now so I was dead on my feet.

_I was in the garden from earlier, and I was in the same dress. My hair was in its natural curls and it was floating around me head. I couldn't seem to figure out what I was doing there until I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned around to see James Potter standing there in the same clothes he had on earlier, but he looked much sexier._

_His hair was still its usual mess, but his brown eyes were absolutely smoldering. His smile made my heart beat at warp speed and my palms started to sweat as he moved closer to me. He stood in front of me but didn't say a word. It was like he was waiting for me to break the thick silence between us._

"_What are you doing here? I thought you'd already left," I said without my mind's permission._

"_I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you, princess," he said in a raspy whisper. "You're too sexy to leave alone."_

_I knew it was a dream right then because I couldn't feel my cheeks turning pink. I actually was aware enough to construct a response to his patronizing._

"_I don't fall for boys like you, Potter. You're the one my dad always warned me about," I said, stepping away from him and walking further into the woods._

_I'd barely made it three feet behind the line of trees when a hand wrapped around my wrist. I was whirled around and James' lips pressed to mine before I could speak. His hands held my cheeks in their rough grip and his lips danced against mine. _

_I could've never imagined kissing someone feeling like it did. It was like it set my entire body on fire and made me come alive. It felt like I was drinking firewhiskey, or sitting too close to the fire in the common room._

_All I knew was that all I wanted in that moment was for James to never stop kissing me. That was new for me, I was a good girl and I never did anything bad. James on the other hand, was the school's bad boy. With the way he was kissing me, it was easy to ignore how wrong this was. Even if it was just a dream…_

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	2. The Burrow

**You guys genuinely seemed to like this story and it's really rad! Thank you so much for reviewing, it means a lot to me.**

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The next morning I was woken up by my mother shaking my shoulders. We were apparently going to the Burrow to celebrate Ginny's birthday. I got up and showered quickly before going into my room to pick out my outfit for the day.

I finished getting dressed and curled my hair in about ten minutes. I went into mum and dad's room to try and convince mum to do my makeup. She agreed and did a charm to make my eyeliner wing out a little bit. My blue eyes were popping when she was finished with them, just like hers.

We walked downstairs together and saw dad trying to make the collar of his shirt lay flat. Mum instantly swooped in and flipped it a couple times to straighten it. They were so cute together, and it was easy to see why they fell in love. They complimented each other in a way that I could only dream of finding one day.

"I'm going to Floo on over to the Potter's place. I'll head over with them and you two come after you're done," I said, winking at them before stepping into the fireplace. "Grimmauld Place!"

The green flames licked up from my feet and sent me straight to the Potter's place. I landed with my feet in their fireplace. Rose was the first one to see me and ran over, wrapping her arms around me before I'd gotten out of the soot. When we finished hugging, I stepped into the room and saw James standing off to the side smirking at me.

"Hey Alice, where are your parents?" Ginny asked hugging me as she walked into the room with a smile on her face.

"They're on their way, but you know how they get sidetracked sometimes," I said, winking at her. "Happy birthday, by the way, it's your twentieth, right?"

She laughed and hugged me again before letting go. "That's why you're my favorite, you should be my daughter."

"That's such a lovely thing to say, mum. Tell her how you really feel," Lily said, coming down the stairs. "Hi Alice."

Lily and I weren't exceptionally close; we barely talked at all really. Rose and I were friends because she and Albus helped me study for my OWLs fourth year, and I helped them last year. I'm sure they'd both help me with NEWTs this year as well. It was helpful having friends in Ravenclaw sometimes…

"Hello princess, it's nice to see you again too," a familiar voice said, making me freeze.

I turned around to see James standing there in a flannel rolled up to his elbows and a pair of worn out jeans. I felt heat flood my cheeks as I remembered my dream last night. The feel of his lips against mine was still fresh in my mind, making me bite my bottom one.

"Hi Potter," I said, standing up and trying to ignore my embarrassment.

"It's time to head on over to the Burrow. Ron and Harry are already there," Hermione said, walking into the room with Hugo behind her. "Oh hello Alice, it's lovely to see you."

I waved at her before stepping to the side so all the other children could step use the Floo. Then Hermione left, leaving me, James, and Ginny. I grabbed some powder from the pot on the mantel and stood inside the fireplace.

"The Burrow," I shouted before tossing the powder onto the ground.

I'd been at the party for almost an hour when I heard the _crack _of an apparition outside. I'd figured everyone was already here so I was surprised when the door opened. Luna and Rolf Scamander walked inside with Lorcan and Lysander close behind them. I expected the door to close, but one more person walked inside.

Carver Jenkins was standing behind them awkwardly with his hands tucked in his pockets. He was a tall, lanky guy that I often saw in my classes. I don't think he and I have ever talked before, but I've always thought he was devastatingly attractive.

Everyone fell into easy conversation with each other, but I saw Carver standing off to the side with Lorcan and Lysander. I made my way over to them and smiled cheerfully at Carver, making his cheeks tint light pink.

"Hi guys, what's up?" I asked, smiling at Lorcan and Lysander too.

"Hello Alice, it's nice to see you," Lysander said. "This is Carver Jenkins, have you two met before?"

"Yes, I sat in front of him in Transfigurations last year," I said, smiling over at him. "You turned a goblet into a mouse and made me faint."

"Oh yeah, I had almost forgotten about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I made sure you got down to Madame Pomfrey before you anything bad happened."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "You were the one who carried me to the Hospital Wing? I never knew that. Thank you."

"It was nothing, I mean I sort of had to seeing as I was the one who made you pass out," he said, shaking his head. "You're welcome, I guess."

An arm dropped around my shoulders and I looked over to see that it belonged to James. I knew my face was hot as I remembered the dream again. Carver walked off to find the twins, leaving James and I alone.

"Why'd you do that for? I was talking to Carver and you just interrupted us," I snapped, pushing his arm off of me. "You're so arrogant, Potter."

I turned on my heel and stomped outside into the yard. I didn't hear the screen door shut behind me so I knew James had followed me outside.

"As if Carver Jenkins is your type, Alice, he's a bore. You're just playing around with the poor boy's feelings," he said when I turned around to look at him with my arms crossed over my chest.

"You don't even know him, he's sweet. That's something you need to learn how to be," I sneered, glaring at him. "Who do you think I should be with then, James Potter?"

His lips turned up into a devilish smirk and I instantly regretted asking him that. "Why, Alice Longbottom, haven't you heard about good girls?"

It seemed like my hands were either always on my hips or my arms were always crossed when it came to dealing with James. "What is it then? I'm sure it's going to be something incredibly dim."

He took my cheeks in his hands and I felt my heart start beating faster. I couldn't help but to flash back to my dream. His hands were just as rough as I thought they'd be, if not more. All he had to do was move a hair closer to me and we'd be kissing…

"All good girls love bad boys."

With that he turned on his heel and left me breathless on the back porch of the Burrow.

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	3. Elfish

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Ginny's birthday was about a week ago and it was almost time to go shopping for school supplies. I always had to go in to school early because Dad was the Herbology teacher. He and I were currently shopping for my books and things.

"Dad, can't I go get my books by myself while you meet mum at the Three Broomsticks for lunch?" I asked, holding his hand and batting my lashes up at him. "Please, Daddy."

He sighed before handing me the money I'd need to buy my things. "Meet up with us after you're done shopping."

I nodded and hugged him, standing up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, I love you!"

I made my way to Flourish and Blotts first, walking inside and inhaling the familiar smell. Books were one of my favorite things in the entire world. I could spend days in the library at school, and had already read most of the books in it. I spent a lot of time in there because I didn't really have a lot of friends, it was almost sad.

I was running my fingers along the many spines of the books crammed onto the shelves. I closed my eyes and gripped one of them, tugging it off of the shelf. It was written completely in Elfish and I couldn't read it, but I still opened it to look at the pictures.

"I didn't know you could read Elfish," someone said from behind me, making me jump and whirl around.

"Hi Carver, you scared me!" I said, placing a hand over my racing heart. Then I looked down at the book in my hands, "Oh, I don't. I just thought I'd look at the pictures –now I sound like an idiot. Merlin, help me."

He laughed and looked over my shoulder, sliding his fingers along the slanted words on the page. "_The beauty of her face was something I'd never forget. Her eyes were shards of sapphires and her lips were smears of scarlet. I wanted nothing more than to kiss the scarlet and hope it spread onto me_."

I shivered at the way he spoke and the way his breath brushed against my ear. When I finally found my voice again, I said, "So you can read Elfish?"

"When you spend enough time around the Scamander family you learn a lot of useless things," he said, stepping back from me and moving his hand.

I instantly missed his warmth so I turned around to face him. "I don't think that's useless, I think it's really cool. I wish I knew Elfish."

His cheeks were red when he looked down at his feet. "I could teach you if you want, I don't mind."

He and I talked for almost two hours before I glanced at a clock. "Oh wow, I have to grab my books and meet up with my parents for lunch. Do you want to come with me?"

"If you want, I don't really have any plans. I'm just sort of wandering around until I apparate home," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're old enough to apparate already?" I asked, grabbing the books I needed as we came across them. When he nodded, I said, "You're so lucky! I won't be old enough until December."

"I turned seventeen two weeks ago," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. "At least you don't have to wait a year or anything, just four months."

We continued on with our small talk until I sat my books on the counter to check out. I paid for them quickly before sliding them into the bag I'd brought.

"I can carry that for you, if you'd like," Carver said, holding out a hand to me.

I smiled and handed it to him, sliding my hand into the bend of his arm. "That's so nice; you're a dying breed, Carver."

He laughed and asked, "What are you talking about? I have a little sister and a couple of cousins. More Jenkins are going to happen in the future."

I laughed and shook my head, he was way too cute. "That's not what I meant, I meant that you're a gentleman and that's really rare."

By this time we'd made it to the Three Broomsticks and I saw mum and dad sitting at a table already. Carver seemed to be a bit nervous, so I gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. We sat down across from them and I saw dad raise a brow, but he didn't ask any questions.

"I was hanging out with Carver and I invited him to come eat with us," I said, squeezing his hand under the table.

"It's lovely to see you again, Carver. How've things been at the Scamander's place?" Mum asked, instantly falling into her friendly mode.

"It's different, that's for sure, but Lysander's my best friend. It's never boring," he said.

"That's such a nice way to say that it's weird there. You're very polite," Mum replied, winking at him and making him blush.

We talked and joked around for about two hours until Carver stood up, "Thank you for lunch, but my mum's expecting me home. I have to take my little sister to dance practice."

"Are you a muggleborn, Carver?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"No, I'm a half-blood. My Mum's a muggle and my dad was a wizard," he said uneasily, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd better go. Thanks again."

After Carver was gone, Mum looked at me harshly. "You've definitely got your father's tact. That was incredibly rude, Alice Marie Longbottom."

"What did I do, Mum? I just asked him about his family," I said, shaking my head and looking at Dad for reassurance. "Was I wrong, Daddy?"

"You could've been a _bit _more subtle, darling," he said slowly, looking over at mom for reassurance.

I sighed angrily but let it go. It honestly wasn't worth the fight with them. I loved both of my parents to bits, but sometimes they ganged up on me. Like I said earlier, Mum was more of a sister than a mother so it sucked when she decided to discipline me.

"Don't pout, Alice, it's not attractive. Besides, I want to talk about Carver," Mum said, making dad groan and rub his face.

"There's nothing to talk about, he's really cute but too shy to make a move. There's not much to do," I said, twisting my necklace around my finger.

"I know you too well for you to lie to me," Mum said, scooting her chair closer to me. "You apparently forget that I'm your Mother and I know everything about you, including your tells when you're lying."

"I think that's my cue to leave. I'm going to go grab some supplies for class, I'll see you two at home," dad said, placing a kiss on my head and kissing Mum's forehead before leaving the restaurant.

As soon as he left Mum pounced on me like a lion. "Tell me all about Carver, don't leave anything out."

I smiled before leaning forward and telling her all about the bookstore. Her face was golden when I told her about him reading to me.

"It sounds like he fancies you, Alice. Why don't you make a move on him?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows at me. "You don't have to wait for him. I made the first move with your father and look how that turned out."

I knew all about how Mum and Dad got together, but I couldn't imagine doing that with Carver. Every time I did a certain messy head of black hair appeared in my mind. What the hell? Did I have feeling for _James Potter_?

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	4. New Friends

**Last chapter didn't get as many reviews as previous chapters and it sort of upset me. I'm trying to get some sort of plot going before James and Alice happen. I'm sorry if you guys are upset about that :(**

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I was standing with dad at the doors of Hogwarts. The carriages were going to be there in about ten minutes, so I had to wait for it and walk in with the rest of the kids. I twisted my tie around my finger anxiously as I watched Dad fidget with his hair.

"Stop it, you're going to mess it up," I said, stilling his hands. "It looks fine, I swear."

He smiled thankfully at me before dropping his hand down to his sides. I heard the clack of hooves on cobblestones and looked up to see the carriages being pulled by nothing. I knew there were actually thestrals, but I couldn't see them.

I wasn't lying when I said that I didn't have any friends. When all the kids started filing into school, I walked towards the side by myself. I tugged my sweater sleeves down over my hands, and tried to not look as awkward as I felt.

"Have you made any more progress with Elfish?" a voice asked from beside of me, making me jump slightly.

I looked over and saw that it was Carver, and felt pleasant warmth fill my stomach. He really was so gorgeous that it was unreal. I couldn't believe that I'd never talked to him before.

"I haven't really tried, I was looking forward to you teaching me," I said, tucking a curl behind my ear. "Are you trying to back out on me know, Jenkins?"

"Not at all, I was just trying to figure out what to say to you," he said, shaking his head. "I guess I could've said something a little better, couldn't I?"

"Hey Longbottom, it's good to see you again," James said, tossing an arm around my shoulders and completely ignoring Carver.

"I'm going to go find Lysander, I'll see you later, Alice," Carver said quietly. "It was nice to see you, James."

"James Potter, you're the rudest creature in the entire world!" I hissed, smacking him and knocking his arm off of me.

"Like you're not being rude, playing around with Jenkins' feelings," he said with a laugh.

"I'm not playing around with his feelings, I like him. He's sweet," I said, chewing on my bottom lip and grinning despite myself.

The look on James' face was something I'd never seen on him before. It was a cross between anger and disgust, almost jealousy. But there was _no _way he would be jealous of Carver. James only wanted in my knickers not my heart.

"Don't act like you actually care about me, Potter. I know you only want to shag me," I said, trying to walk away from him.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to the side of the castle. "What makes you think that all I want from you is a quick shag?"

"That's how you work, James. You sleep with girls and then you never talk to them again. I see it happen all the time," I shouted. "I don't want to be another notch in your belt, James. That's not how I am."

"Don't you think I know that? I've known you since I was a little kid, Alice. I think it's sexy as hell that you're so innocent and I don't want to ruin that," he shouted.

"Then what do you want from me? I know you're not looking for a date, I don't even think you date," I said, trying to not cry in frustration.

"Did it ever cross your mind that you might be different? That I might actually have genuine feelings for you, Alice?" he asked, yanking a hand through his hair.

That stopped me in my tracks; I'd never once actually thought he had feelings for me. I honestly couldn't find the words to say in this situation. Thankfully dad came out into the Entrance Hall and herded us inside to the Great Hall.

I sat at the edge of the Gryffindor table and watched the sorting. Finally everyone stopped talking as the food settled onto the table. I reached for a slice of turkey and ended up clanging forks with someone else.

I looked up and saw an auburn haired girl sitting across from me with a fork in her hand. She smiled sheepishly at me and gestured for me to get the piece. I took it thankfully and waited for her to get her own piece before talking.

"Hi, I don't think we've met before. I'm Alice Longbottom," I said.

"I know who you are, you're Professor Longbottom's daughter," she said. "Plus almost every guy in our year has had a crush on you at some point."

I knew my cheeks were hot when she said that so I just looked down at my plate. "I don't know about all that. I don't even really have that many friends."

"You have one now, I'm Madge Alexander," she said, grinning goofily at me.

We talked excitedly the rest of the Feast. I felt eyes on me and turned around to see that both James and Carver were staring at me. I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth nervously before turning back to Madge.

"Girl, what was all that about not having any friends? Two incredibly fit boys are practically frothing at me mouth while looking at you," Madge said waggling her eyebrows at me suggestively.

"You don't even know the half of it, babe. It's super complicated," I sighed.

"Let's go up to the Common Room and talk about it," she said, standing up and walking to the end of the table to meet me. "I have a feeling this is going to be good."

"Okay, so let me make sure that I have this completely straight. You thought that James just wanted to shag you, but he may actually have feelings for you. Carver is just adorable and makes you all giddy," she said slowly after I'd unloaded everything to her.

"Basically, I don't know what to do. I really like Carver because he's such a good guy, but I think of James every time we're together," I said, flopping backwards onto the couch dramatically.

"Do you have feelings for James other than the attraction to his bad boy demeanor? Like, the whole 'good girls love bad boys' thing?" she suggested.

I groaned in frustration, "That's what he said to me. He said that I'd get bored with Carver because he's such a good boy. That I needed a bad boy to keep things interesting."

"I have a feeling that you being friends with you isn't going to be boring, Miss Longbottom," she laughed.

I tossed a pillow at her and laughed along with her. I could get used to this having a girl friend thing.

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**I added a new character and there's a link to what she looks like on my profile through the polyvore link. There's also one of Carver, I never mentioned it earlier.**


	5. Ruined

**I updated my other story the other day and saw that I hadn't updated this one in a long time. So here's the newest chapter. **

**Don't forget about the link on my profile to the clothes worn by the characters. **

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Madge and I were practically attached at the hip since that day. Well us and along with Carver and Lysander. Carver and I had gotten a lot closer and I could tell that we were soon going to become a couple. The only things standing in our way was his awkwardness and my budding feelings for a certain pompous Potter.

"Hey buttercup, how are you this morning?" Madge asked, flopping down next to me on the couch in the common room.

"I'm thinking about going back to bed, actually. What about you?" I asked, barely stifling a yawn.

"You shouldn't have stayed up all night with Carver last night in the Common Room," she said, hitting my shoulder with hers. "If you were even talking…"

"Oh whatever, Madge, I'm not like that! Plus he's too much of a gentleman to push my boundaries," I said. Then quieted I added, "At all."

"What do you mean? Did you want to shag him last night or something?" she whispered, moving closer to me.

"No, I just wanted him to kiss me or something. I want to know if he feels like I do, I mean, I have my thoughts that he does. It would be nice to know for sure though," I explained, flopping dramatically back against the couch.

"You can't be serious right now! Carver Jenkins is so into you that he can barely talk sometimes," she said, shaking her head incredulously at me. "Not all guys are as obvious about their feelings as a certain messy haired Potter boy."

"I don't even want to think about James Potter right now. He hasn't talked to for two weeks, Madge. And the worst part was that he said he had feelings for me," I said, bitter tears filling up my eyes.

"Hello ladies, how are you this morning?" Carver asked, sitting down next to me on the couch.

I blinked quickly to try and make my tears go away. I thought they all left, but Carver reached out and wiped one off of my cheek. I bit my bottom lip and looked up at him through my eyelashes.

"I'm just going to go somewhere that isn't here," Madge said before getting up and running out of the room.

"What's wrong, Alice?" Carver whispered, locking gazes with me.

"It's nothing, I'm just really frustrated right now," I sighed, pulling my knees up and resting my chin on them. "I have a lot of emotions swirling around inside of my head."

"Do you want to talk about it? I've been told on multiple occasions that I'm a good listener," he said, placing a timid hand on mine.

I knew it was either really brave or really stupid to do what I did next, but I did it anyway. I pushed myself forward and pressed our lips together. Carver was very hesitant at first, but soon he took my face in his hands and kissed me back.

I never imagined that Carver would be a fierce kisser, but I was so wrong. His hands held my face just tight enough for me to know how much he wanted this. When his tongue ventured out and brushed against my lips, I felt my knees go weak.

When we pulled back I was gasping for breath and completely ecstatic when I heard that Carver was as well. We just stayed staring at each other, his hands on my face and mine on his wrists for what seemed like forever. It was almost like we were afraid that if we spoke we'd ruin the magic that was happening between us right now.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? You're not as good of a girl as you've got everyone thinking, are you, Longbottom?" a pompous voice asked from the foot of the boys' staircase.

Carver pulled away from me and slid down the couch so we weren't touching anymore. I sighed and turned around to face James. He had a cold, sly look on his face and his arms were crossed over his chest. The only other time I'd ever seen this look was during Quidditch matches against Slytherin.

"I'm going to go find Lysander and Lorcan; we're head to Hogsmeade today. Find us if you'd like," Carver said, getting up and legging it out of the room.

I jumped up as soon as the door slammed shut and rounded on James. "Why do you have to ruin everything? I like Carver and he likes me. He finally made his move and you came and messed it all up!"

"Don't act like you're not relieved that I just saved you from the awkwardness that is Carver Jenkins," he said with a laugh.

"You'd better hope that Carver still wants to talk to me. If you ruined this, James Potter, I swear on everything that I will never talk to you again," I shouted.

He just shook his head and turned around to go back upstairs. I screamed in frustration before stomping back upstairs to talk to Madge. I found her sitting on her bed in the dorms with a book on her lap. I would've believed her too if the book wasn't upside down and written in Elfish.

"How much of that did you listen to?" I asked sitting down across from her. "I know you don't read Elfish or upside down, before you even go there."

"I left when you and Carver started sucking face on the couch. I heard shouting but I figured I should stay up here," she said, shutting the book and moving closer to me. "I want details about it."

"Do you want details on mine and Carver's kiss first or the fight that James and I just had?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You and James were the ones that were yelling at each other? How did he even come into the mix of things?" she asked with a confused face.

"Carver and I had just pulled away from the best kiss that I've ever experienced when I saw him. He was standing there watching us. He spooked Carver and made him leave, then he started talking about saving me from Carver's 'awkwardness.' I just want to punch him in his arrogant, pompous, little twat face," I exploded.

"He is so in love with you, Alice! Oh my bludgers," Madge said, falling backwards onto the bed with her arms spread out above her head.

"Really, 'oh my bludgers,' who even says that?" I asked, trying to change the subject away from that direction.

"That's so not what we're talking about right now," she said with a shake of her head.

"Hey, Carver invited us to meet up with him Lysander, and Lorcan in Hogsmeade later on today. Do you want to go get ready and head on out?" I asked, trying to change the subject again.

"I guess we can go meet up with them, but only after you tell me all about your kiss. I want to know absolutely everything!" she squealed before taking my hands in hers and squeezing them.

"It was the best kiss I've ever had! He was so intense and into it, I don't know why I ever doubted that he had feelings for me," I said, squeezing her hands back.

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that you two happen. I'm even going to try and distract the twins so you two can get your flirt on," she said with an over-exaggerated wink.

"You're impossible sometimes," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, but that's why I'm your best friend!" she shouted before jumping up and running over to the closet.

"I guess I can't argue with you on that," I said with a smile.

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**I'm trying to develope Madge and Alice's friendship as well as Alice and Carver's relationship. I hope you guys still like the story so far :)**


	6. Three Broomsticks

Madge and I got ready and made our way down to Hogsmeade to meet up with the guys. I couldn't wait to go to the Three Broomsticks and order a butterbeer. The warm liquid always made me feel better, even when I was in a sour mood.

"Where are we supposed to meet up with them?" Madge asked, linking our arms to try and share warmth.

"No, he left before he told me a specific place to meet him. I'm sure it's not going to be that hard to find them. He's with the Scamander twins, just think of the oddest place in Hogsmeade and I'm sure we'll find them," I said, pulling my coat tighter around me.

"Let's get a drink first, it's colder than a frig-titty out here," she said, directing me into the Three Broomsticks.

"What the hell is a 'frig-titty,' Madge?" I asked, trying to not start laughing as I spoke. "I don't think I've ever heard that before."

She laughed along with me as we walked into the warmth of the restaurant. The fire crackled in the hearth and made me smile. I looked around and saw a familiar head of curls, I'd found the boys.

"Hey, look who I found," I said, pointing over to the corner where they were sitting. "It's the boys."

"Hi Alice, it's nice to see you again," Lorcan said when Madge and I approached their table. "You as well, Madge."

"I haven't talked to you two at all this year. What's up?" Madge asked, sitting down between the twins. "What new animal have your parents discovered as of late?"

Madge was playing the part of best friend flawlessly. She could care less about the fictional creatures that the Scamanders hunted, but she was trying to give Carver and I alone time. I winked at her before turning to face him from my seat.

"I want to apologize about Potter and his arrogance. That wasn't how I wanted our first kiss to end," I said quietly, taking his hand in mine.

"It's okay. I understand why he always meddles, you're too gorgeous to just let go of. I'd do the same if I was in his position," Carver said, smiling shyly at me.

"And what position would he be in?" I asked, leaning into his warmth.

"Watching another guy make a move on the most perfect girl at Hogwarts, of course. It's pretty hard to watch," he said it like it was nothing but my heart was beating so hard I could feel it vibrating my chest.

"Carver and I are going to go walk around for a while. We'll meet up with you guys later on in the Common Room," I said, standing up with his hand still in mine.

Madge mouthed, "I want details, lots of them" at me as Carver took my hand in his. I just nodded my head and followed him out. I was wearing mittens so we couldn't lock our fingers, but it was almost sweet the way our hands fit together.

"I'm still so sorry about him. I wanted our kiss to be perfect because I really like you," I said, I had a tendency to blurt out my feelings when I was nervous.

We stopped moving and Carver tugged to in front of him, turning me to face him. "You like me?"

"Well, yeah, I do. I like you a lot actually, Carver. Why is that such a surprise to you?" I asked him curiously. "You're an amazing guy, plus you're really cute."

His face was cheery red and it was so adorable. "I don't know about all that, Alice. I'm pretty normal, if you ask me."

"I think normal's cool," I said, standing on my tiptoes and taking his face in my hands.

This kiss wasn't like the one in the Common Room, this one was sweeter. He held my hips gently in his hands as he smiled against my lips. I returned the smile and pulled away from him, gazing up at him with the same smile.

"That was what our first kiss should've been like," I whispered, biting my bottom lip.

"I guess this would be a perfect time to ask you, do you want to go out with me?" he asked, his grin was brilliant.

"Yeah, I think that sounds awesome. When do you plan on doing this?" I asked, sliding our hands back together and moving us back to the sidewalk so we could walk.

"We could do it tomorrow, if you want," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's up to you."

"Don't get all awkward around me again, Carver. I'm just Alice, there's nothing to worry about," I said, standing on my tiptoes again and kissing his cheek. "Whatever you decide to do will be perfect, I'm sure."

The rest of the afternoon was so much fun. His arm ended up finding its way around my shoulders towards nightfall because I was cold. I had my hands tucked in his pockets and he had his under my scarf.

We were back in the castle, walking us upstairs to the Common Room. We stopped outside the portrait hole and looked up at each other.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow night. We'll meet up in the Common Room at about six, okay?" Carver said, placing his hand on my cheek.

I nodded and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek before going upstairs to the girls' dorm. Madge was sitting on her bed writing on a piece of parchment with earbuds in. She was jamming hardcore so I just stood and watched her for a minute or two. What? It was really funny.

I pulled on pajamas before yanking one of her earbuds out. She looked up at me with a look of annoyance on her face. She laid her quill down and crossed her arms over her chest, obviously waiting for me to tell her why I interrupted her.

"Carver asked me to go out with him tomorrow night!" I said, bouncing on her bed excitedly. "Aren't you super happy for me?"

"Not as happy as I am for myself. Lysander asked me to go hunting for Snorlaxs tomorrow and I said yes," she said, flashing her dimples at me.

"I'm heard Luna talk about Snorlaxs before, but you don't seem like the type. Do you like Lysander?" I asked, laughing at her.

"Of course I like him, why else would I go on the hunt for monsters?" she asked, tossing her parchment on the floor. "He's just so freakin' cute."

"Maybe we can all go out together one night. We're dating best friends! How awesome is that?" I asked, hugging Madge.

"We have to pick out your outfit for tomorrow night. You've got to be gorgeous," she said after we let go of each other. "Even more gorgeous than you usually are."

"You're such a charmer, Madge. Maybe you and I should go out instead," I laughed, puckering my lips in her direction. "Come and plant one on me, beautiful."

"Oh please, I'm so out of your league, Longbottom!" she laughed, digging through the closet for the perfect outfit for me.

"Oh whatever, Alexander, I would blow your mind," I said, throwing one of her pillows at her. "I think I'm the one that's out of _your _league!"

She and I continued to play around the rest of the night. We finally found the perfect outfit for tomorrow night at around midnight. We stayed up talking about Lysander and Carver until about two in the morning when we both crashed. I'm sure the other girls in the dorm were pissed, but neither of us cared.

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**Thank you for reading! Review!**


	7. Jealousy

**Someone said that they wanted a chapter with James' point of view so this chapter has that. I hope you like it :)**

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James' Point of View:

I was walking through the castle on my way back from Sunday Quidditch practice. I was the captain of the team and I felt really sure that we were going to kick ass this year. Since I'd been on the team, Gryffindor has been undefeated. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but _toot toot_.

Now all I needed to do was go find Alice and convince her to go out with me. That would make today as good as possible. The only thing standing in the way of her and I was that obnoxious little Jenkins prat. He wasn't anything special; I had no clue why Alice insisted that he was so grand.

I just shook my head to clear it and stopped at the portrait hole. The Fat Lady smiled at me so I winked in return making her blush and start giggling. I didn't even have to tell her the password; she swung open and let me inside.

I saw Alice's new friend Madge sitting on one of the couches with Jenkins. She was watching the staircase along with him. I was too focused on them to notice what made Jenkins' face light up. I turned to the stairs and saw what was so amazing.

Alice was walking down them, watching her feet instead of us. She was so beautiful I forgot how to breathe for a few seconds. When she looked up and her eyes locked with mine the air forced itself back into my lungs. She had her bottom lip trapped between her teeth and looked the picture of innocence, it was so sexy.

I've known Alice since I was born; I'd grown up with her. She was so beautiful, always had been, but she didn't give me the time of day. She was a good girl, a virgin nonetheless, which was so not my type. I think that was the reason I was so entranced with her, she could care less who I was or what I did.

I've slept with my fair share of females, more than my fair share possibly. I knew everything there was to know about landing a female, but it was useless when it came to her. She hated my track record and it made her hate me.

"You look gorgeous, Alice. Oh wow," Jenkins said, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"You've got such a way with words, Jenkins. Why aren't you in Ravenclaw again?" I asked, making my way over to Alice.

"I don't remember asking you to talk, Potter. Just go on and find your bird for the night and leave us alone," Alice said without looking away from Jenkins. "Are you ready?"

"Before you leave, you'd better put on your jacket. It's cold outside," Madge said, pushing past me and handing the coat to Jenkins.

"I could keep you warm, baby," I said, walking to stand in front of Alice, "Inside and out."

Her cheeks turned pink and she jammed her arms through the sleeves of her coat. She took Jenkins' hand again and led him out of the Common Room and away from me.

"Why can't you just leave her alone and let her be happy?" Madge asked, pushing me hard from behind.

"I don't know what you're talking about, small fry. Alice isn't happy with him, if anything she's bored. He's too nice for her to be interested for too long. I'm just making sure she knows that there's someone else who wants her to be happy," I said simply.

"She knows that you're no good, Potter. You just want a quick lay and that's not how she is. She deserves respect and that's something that you don't know how to give," she said before turning on her heel and leaving the Common Room.

Alice's Point of View:

I tried my best to not let James' display ruin my night. I could tell that Carver was still a little shaken up from James' behavior so I tried to distract him. I held his hand in my mitten-clad one and pulled him to a stop.

"Are you still thinking about what Potter said?" I asked, pulling him to sit on the bench outside the Three Broomsticks.

"I'm trying to not, but he's right. You're a Longbottom, your dad slayed Nagini for Merlin's sake!" he said, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm just a stupid muggleborn."

"Do you honestly think that I care who your parents are?" I asked, brushing his hair out of his face. "I said yes to you because you're sweet and nice and I like that."

I placed one of my hands on his shoulder and the other holding his hand. I leaned in and connected our lips once more. I needed to get his mind off of the James thing before it was all I thought about too.

It was about eleven o'clock when we made our way back to the Common Room. I was on his back with my face buried in his curls to fight the cold.

"I'm freezing! I'm going to catch pneumonia from being out so late with you, Carver!" I shrieked as he sat me back down on my feet.

"I'll keep you company in the Hospital Wing if that happens," he laughed, smiling down at me. "I had a lot of fun tonight. Who knew that you could run that fast with legs like that?"

"I didn't have much of a choice. I thought those kids were really going to be mad that we cut them in line," I defended myself. "I'm not even that small, okay?"

"I could've protected you from them. They were all third years," he laughed, making his face squint up so I knew it was real laughter.

He really was gorgeous.

James' Point of View:

I was coming downstairs to go out into the halls and meet up with some Slytherin girl for a hookup when I heard laughter. It was later than usual for people to be up on Sunday, we had classes tomorrow.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and saw that it was Alice and Jenkins coming in. I thought they'd come in ages ago, but I guess I was wrong. I stood off to the side so I could see and hear everything going on.

"I could've protected you from them. They were all third years," he laughed.

I saw Alice looking at him in awe and it made my stomach twist. I wanted her to look at me like that. I wanted her to like me the way she liked him. This wasn't me, I wasn't afraid of girls liking me or not.

I was going to go down there and interrupt them when they stopped me in my tracks. She grabbed his cheeks and pulled his mouth down to hers. It was such a confident move, I had no clue she had the nerve to do it.

She looked so free and happy kissing him, almost like it was what she was meant to do. There was a burning, hollow feeling in my stomach at the sight. I thought I was going to be ill for a few seconds until I recognized the feeling.

I, James Sirius Potter, was actually jealous of another person. What was this girl doing to me?

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**It looks like James is finally coming to terms with his feelings... Review?**


	8. You're Vile

**I'm back in school now so updates will be fewer lately. I'm going to try my best to update.**

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James' Point of View:

Two months, two fucking months. She'd been with Jenkins for two months now. I haven't been with a girl in that long because I've been so focused on them. It was pathetic; I was pathetic when it came to her.

"I haven't seen you with a girl in forever, James. Do you I need to cover my stuff when I'm walking around in the locker room now?" Matt Finnigan asked me one day during Quidditch practice.

I punched him in the shoulder so hard he almost fell of his broom. "Don't criticize me. Are you still celibate with Melinda?"

"Okay, I deserved that one. It's just weird that you're not with anyone lately. Is Longbottom really messing with your head that much?" he asked after he settled back down on the broom.

"I just want to know what's so special about him. He's boring and weird," I said, hitting the quaffle heading towards me harder than I meant to.

"Oi, Potter, you're not even a beater! Watch where you're hitting things," Rose shouted, rubbing her shoulder. "You almost knocked me off of my broom."

"Sorry, Rose, I'm distracted," I said, yanking a hand through my hair. "Let's just end practice today. We'll meet up tomorrow at the same time for an early practice before our match against Hufflepuff."

They all made different noise of approval before flying to the ground. They disappeared inside the locker room, leaving me alone in the air. I flew a couple of laps around the Pitch to try and work out some of my frustrations, but it wasn't working.

I eventually just took a shower and started walking back up to the castle. I was almost inside when I heard giggles coming from behind one of the towers. They sounded familiar so I followed them and saw something I wish I didn't.

Alice was pinned against the wall by Jenkins, literally. He hand her wrists in his hands and was holding her back against the stone. He was kissing along her neck and she was laughing up a storm, except they were flirty little laughs. They were the laughs that I've daydreamed about since I met her. Then I got older and they got sexier, the dreams that is, the giggles stayed the same.

"Carver, we've got to stop or we're going to get caught," she whispered airily, pushing his shoulders back. "No matter how fun it is, we need to."

I realized that I needed to go before they caught me watching. I would be labeled a creep for the rest of my years at Hogwarts. I turned around and walked into the school, trying to make the feeling in my stomach go away.

I didn't want to be jealous of Carver Jenkins, I just want Alice. Too bad she would never date me because of my past. I've never seen myself as someone who would change for another person, but I think that maybe she's worth it.

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Alice's Point of View:

Carver and I have been together for two glorious months. Madge and Lysander were still flirting around with each other, playing almost. Soon enough we'd all be able to go out on double dates. It was almost like we were in one of those cheesy muggle movies that I used to watch with Rose and Lily when we were younger.

"Have you talked to James lately?" Madge asked, twisting her quill around instead of focusing in on her parchment.

"Not in a really long time. What makes you ask?" I replied, pulling my knees up and resting my chin on them.

"I haven't seen him hook up with a girl since you and he had that huge row. I think he's trying to change for you," she explained seriously.

"I don't want him to change for me; I just want him to leave me alone. Oh look! He's doing that already, "I mocked her.

"Who's doing what already?" Carver asked, sitting next to me on the couch.

He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. It was the kind that filled me up with sunshine and made my stomach flutter.

"It's nothing, I'm just talking about periods and bras," Madge said flippantly.

I expected Carver to be embarrassed about that, but he just nodded. "It's just me and two girls at home, I heard more about that than you'd think."

It was then that I remembered that his father was dead. He died in a car crash when Carver was eleven and he was forced to become the man of the house. His mom and his sister were the most important things in his life and I thought it was really cute.

"I didn't expect that, but that was a very good answer," Madge said with an appreciative smile.

"That's my man, always got the right answer," I smiled, closing my book and placing my hand on his stomach as I cuddled into him. "What are you doing here? I thought you had plans with Lysander and Lorcan."

"I did, but I really wanted to come spend some time with you. I'll catch up with them tonight after dinner," he said, kissing the side of my head.

"You guys are truly disgusting and you make me want to puke. I'm going to go find a bucket to do that in," Madge said, closing her book and taking it with her out of the Common Room.

"That went swimmingly. How'd you know that she'd leave if we were like that?" Carver asked in astonishment.

"I know my best friend better than anyone in the world. Don't ever doubt me, love," I said, leaning forward and placing a kiss on his nose.

"So what are we going to do for her birthday? She's turning seventeen, that's a huge age!" he said, playing with my fingers as he spoke.

"I'm going to convince one of the Potters or the Weasleys to help me get into the Room of Requirements. I'm going to deck it out and throw the be-all-end-all of birthday parties. It's going to be awesome," I said excitedly.

"I'm here whenever you need me to be except for right now. I have to go help your dad bring in some Tangle Grass for tomorrow's lesson," he said, standing up and smiling down at me. "Before you argue, I have to make him like me. He's your dad and you're my world, it's sort of important."

I didn't know what to say to that so I let him walk out of the room. Just as he left, James walked inside. I knew that if I wanted to get into the Room of Requirements he was the one to ask about it. He knew every in and out of this school, what with that map Harry gave him and him and Fred looking everywhere for Lily last year when she decided to play hide and seek against them and Albus.

"Hey James, can I talk to you about something super important?" I asked, batting my lashes up at him.

"What is it, Longbottom? I've got places to be and things to do," he said gruffly, his eyes not meeting mine.

"I need a favor, a huge favor," I said, laying it on as thick as possible.

"Why would I do you a favor, Longbottom? Just go ask your perfect little boyfriend to help you," he said sassily. "I'm sure he'd do anything that you asked. He's your lapdog after all."

"You're such a pompous asshole, James! I can't believe how obnoxious you really are," I shouted, making a couple of people in the room look over at us. "I wanted to throw a surprise party for Madge in the Room of Requirements, but don't even worry about it. I'll figure something else out."

I turned away from him and stormed out of the Common Room. I couldn't understand how someone so vile could have such an amazing family. His brother and his sister would help me plan this, I'm sure of it.

I didn't need him, he could go be bitter by himself. He _so_ wasn't invited to Madge's birthday.

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**The next chapter should be Madge's party. Review?**


	9. The Party

**This is Madge's birthday. I hope you enjoy it :)**

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Alice's Point of View:

"Thank you again for helping with getting Room of Requirements, Albus. Dad would've flipped his lid if I asked him where it was," I smiled, hugging him briefly before going back to party planning.

Madge had no idea that this was happening, I'd seen to it. Lysander had taken her out on an expedition with Lorcan at around noon, it was almost eight now and they still weren't back. I just shook my head as I charmed more streamers into place.

"You're working so hard on this party for Madge. It's really sweet how much you care about her," Carver said from his spot over on one of the couches. "Are you sure that I can't do anything more to help?"

"Not a thing, babe. Just keep your cute butt over there and give me something to look forward to once I'm finished with this blasted decorating," I said, winking saucily at him before charming the balloons up close to the ceiling.

"It's almost half eight, love. Don't you still have to get ready and arrange everything with Madge?" Carver asked a little bit later. "I'll make sure everyone arrives here; just go get the guest of honor."

"We'll help him do it," Lily said when she saw my questioning look. "Between him, Rose, Scorpius, Hugo, Albus, and me, I'm sure we can get this party going."

I grinned at her before kissing Carver quickly and running out of the room. I made my way quickly up to the Common Room. I saw Madge sitting on a couch looking really tired and a little dirty.

"Alice, is that you? I can't see you, come closer, darling," she wheezed out, reminding me too much of my old, asthmatic Aunt Garnett.

"You are such a drama queen!" I said, standing in front of her. "What happened to get you so tired and dirty?"

"We walked all over the blasted field in front of his Grandpa's house looking for some sort of beetle. I don't care how cute he is, nothing can cover up that much weird," she said, her eyes opening up to look at me. "Why are you so glowy?"

"Why don't we go upstairs, get showered, and let me dress you? It'll be super fun," I said, taking her hand and pulling her up to her feet.

"I get the feeling that something is going on, but a bath sounds too good to be true. I'm going to go to the prefect's bath instead and soak for a while, I'll be up in about fifteen," she said before heading out of the Common Room.

I waited until the portrait hole closed to run up to the girls' dormitories. I had purchased two dresses for us, one each, and they were perfect for tonight. They were cute, but not too over the top. I put my dress on before going into the bathroom and starting on my makeup. I did my hair next, making sure it was up so I wouldn't overheat, but a few strands hanging down because I knew James liked them that way.

_James_!? Why did I think James instead of Carver? I didn't care if James thought I was hot, I was into Carver. James was a total ass that I didn't want anything to do with him after the way he acted last week when I asked him about the Room.

I heard the door to the girls' dorm open up and Madge start singing. I laughed before snapping my earring into place and going in there to find her. She was playing around with her hairbrush in her hand and singing into it.

"It seems like you're in a better mood than you were before. Was the bath that spectacular?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Why are you all dressed up? It's almost nine o'clock," she said when she looked over and saw what I was wearing.

"I'm taking you out for your birthday, but you don't get to know where. You're going to put on that dress and let me do your hair and makeup. Then you're going to put on that blindfold and let me lead you to your surprise. Got it?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and daring her to go against what I said.

She just nodded and pulled the dress out of the bag. She gasped when she saw it before hugging it to her chest and spinning around. I knew she'd love it, the lace around the bust absolutely screamed her name.

"Happy Birthday, Madge," I said, smiling at her. "Now go put on your dress before we're late."

I got her ready and tied the satin blindfold around her eyes lightly to not mess up her makeup. I made sure to wait until we were at the bottom of the staircase to make it to tighten it so she could see where she was going. She held onto my waist as we walked, but I made sure to have her let go when I had to walk in front of the door.

Everyone inside was hidden and the lights were turned off. I grabbed Madge's hand and pulled her inside, taking the blindfold off as I turned the lights on. Everyone jumped out and yelled "surprise" at her and I saw the happiness color her face.

"Is this a birthday party for me? I've never had a surprise party before!" she said before covering her mouth with her hand.

"It was all Alice's idea. She planned the entire thing, right down to the last detail. She's ran herself silly all day to make sure tonight was perfect for you," Lily said, coming up and hugging the birthday girl after the party was in swing.

"You're seriously the best mate that I've ever had! I can't believe you did all of this for me!" she cried, throwing her arms around my neck after she and Lily parted.

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The party was wild by about eleven o'clock that night. Someone had smuggled in Firewhiskey and spiked the drinks. I just shook my head and made sure to smell my cup before I drank anything. The last thing I wanted to do was get wasted and ruin Madge's night. She was already drunk; I was her babysitter for the night.

"Hi there, can I talk to you for a minute?" a voice asked from behind me.

I whirled around to see James Potter standing there with a smug smile on his lips. I wanted to punch him more than I've ever wanted to punch anyone in the entire world. He wasn't supposed to be here tonight, he wasn't supposed to ruin the night.

"No, you can't. The only thing you can do is get out of here, you weren't invited," I answered coolly.

"On the contrary, my dear, I heard that everyone was invited. The last time I checked, I still qualified as 'everyone'," he said, placing a hand on my lower back.

"What could you possibly have to say to me? I haven't seen you in weeks, and the last time I did you weren't exactly friendly. You didn't even want to help me plan tonight, so what right do you have?" I asked, tearing myself out of his grip and pushing him away from me.

"Why would I help you after you shot me down like you did?" he asked suddenly. "You embarrassed me and then expected me to help you."

"What are you even talking about, Potter? I haven't shot you down about anything. We hadn't even spoken to each other, except for the last week, in months. Have you gone completely mental or something?" I whispered tersely, trying to keep from drawing everyone's attention to us.

"I'm not having this conversation in front of everyone. If you want to talk, meet me in the Common Room in ten minutes. I know the last thing you want is for people to see us leave together," he whispered in return, turning on his heel and leaving the Room.

I debated whether or not to go with him. I needed to find Madge and ask for her advice, but I hated to ruin her party for it. I needed to put on my big girl knickers and go talk through all of this with James. We needed to at least be civil with each other.

After I was sure that ten minutes had passed since he left, I slipped out of the party to go talk to him. I hoped that no one had seen me leave, and I hoped that no one connected that James and I had _both _left the party. I really didn't want a rumor to get started about us; I couldn't do that to Carver.

I knew doing this was incredibly stupid, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I had to see what was going on between us before I could be faithful to Carver. It wasn't fair to him that I was dating him while I questioned my feelings for James. Hopefully after this meeting I would only fancy Carver.

_Hopefully…_

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**The next chapter is going to be completely about James and Alice. Reviews make it come faster...**


	10. I Love You

**This is just a PSA: I'm going to do whatever I want with this story and its layout. If I want to ask for reviews, I'm going to. I'm sorry if that upsets you or whatever, but it's going to happen. You don't have to read this story, and you don't have to review if you don't want to. It's just a thing that I do in my stories regardless of **_**how **_**many reviews that I have on said story. **

**So yeah, I'm sorry to sound like such a bitch. I just hate it when people tell me what I should or shouldn't do about the **_**layout **_**of my story. I mean, if it's part of the plot go for it, but don't do it about the layout. If I do that, I obviously want it that way. **

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James' Point of View:

I was sitting on one of the couches in the Common Room, thinking about Alice. There was quite a large chance that she wouldn't show up here. She didn't really like me too much lately, and I couldn't really blame her. I have been a total ass to her as of late.

Just as I was thinking that, the door to the Common Room swung open. Alice walked in and I could see the determination in her eyes. She walked over and sat down next to me on the couch, looking at me expectantly.

"I don't really know how to start talking about this. Do you have any ideas?" I asked, playing with my hands nervously.

"How about you start out by explaining why you're such an arsehole to me and Carver? Or how I'm not allowed to be happy with him?" she said, barely stopping herself from shouting at me.

"I don't understand how you're happy with him. He's so boring and you're so amazing," I said finally, figuring I had nothing to lose. "You're perfect and you deserve someone who can constantly keep you happy. Carver Jenkins isn't the guy to do that for you, Longbottom."

"If my boyfriend isn't the one who's supposed to be making me happy, then who's it supposed to be?" she asked in frustration.

"Me!" I shouted, jumping up from the couch. "I'm supposed to be the one making you happy. I'm supposed to be the one that you're constantly defending and having the time of your life with!"

She just sat there after my outburst, staring up at me with wide, innocent eyes. "What are you talking about, Potter? You've never said that you want to be with me, you've just made fun of me."

"I have feelings for you, Alice. I've had them since we were kids and we played together. You're the most perfect thing that I've ever seen in my entire life, and I'm terrified that if we were ever together I'd mess that up. I know that I don't deserve you, and that you deserve Carter because he'll treat you how you're supposed to be treated, but that doesn't stop me from loving you," I said finally, putting all of my cards on the table.

She looked at me for longer than I would've thought. I tried to decipher what her look was, but there were too many emotions running across her face. I couldn't help but think that I'd messed everything up by telling her about my feelings.

"You love me?" she finally asked, barely breathing it out.

"I don't love you, Longbottom," I said, making her face fall. "I'm in love with you and everything that you do, Alice."

"What the hell is wrong with you, James Potter? How dare you play around with my feelings just to get a kick out of things?" she jumped up from the couch and started shouting at me.

"I'm not playing around with your feelings, Alice. I really am in love with you," I said, standing up and holding her by her shoulders.

* * *

Alice's Point of View:

"What makes you think that I'm going to be naïve enough to believe that? You probably say that to at least four girls a day…" I was cut off by his lips.

The kiss set me on fire, more so than anything I've ever experienced in my life. It was hard and fast, intense and passionate in a way that I knew was a first for both of us. His hands held me like I was breakable, but his mouth told a different story.

I remembered my dream all those months ago about us and how much this mirrored it. He pulled his mouth away from mine so I could catch my breath and started trailing kisses down my neck. He bit into my shoulder and I gasped, jarring me out of my sexual haze.

I pushed him away from me and covered where he bit me with my hand. "I can't do this with you, James! I have a boyfriend and a reputation to uphold. Dad would kill me if he knew that I was snogging you!"

I turned on my heel and ran out to one of the bathrooms. I looked more alive than I'd ever seen myself look. I was glowing and my eyes were bright, sparkling even. I hated myself for enjoying the kiss with James as much as I did.

I looked at my shoulder and saw the red flesh bruising over a little bit. Oh lovely, I was going to have a hickey to cover up tomorrow. I said a spell under my breath and watched the skin go back to my normal color. Hopefully that would stay until we all got back to the Common Room tonight.

* * *

The party ended at around three that morning and I stayed after to pick things up. I made sure Madge was asleep in her bed before starting the cleanup. Almost everyone that left the party was drunk off their ass so there was more puke puddles than I'd ever seen in my life.

"Hello gorgeous," Carver said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Why don't you wait until tomorrow to clean this up?"

Something about him holding me this close after what happened with James felt wrong so I pushed him away from me. I went back to picking up the cups and streamers off the floor that the kids had pulled down.

"What's wrong, Alice? Did I do something wrong tonight? You haven't even talked to me since this afternoon," he asked quietly.

"No Carver, it's not anything that you did. It's just been a rough night," I said finally, tying up the full bag and vanishing it away.

He seemed to take that as a legitimate answer because he grabbed a bag and started picking up trash too. I felt terrible about lying to him, I really did care about him, but I didn't want to tell him about the James thing.

"I didn't mean to be such an ice queen, love. I'm just tired, I'm sorry," I said after I looked over and saw how upset he was.

"I understand, I'm tired as well. Let's go up to the Common Room and come back here tomorrow after some sleep. Okay?" he asked, walking over to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I sighed before dropping the bag I was holding and hugging his waist. This was what I needed; I needed Carver and his stability. I didn't have to question whether or not he cared about me or was just using me.

I was a good girl and good girls didn't need bad boys like James Potter. They needed good boys like Carver Jenkins.

* * *

**This chapter was actually really fun to write so I hope you like it. **

**Review?**


	11. The Girl with Two Boyfriends

**Thank you so much for reading this story, guys. I don't think I say it enough, but I appreciate all of you so much for reading this and telling me what you think. It's so awesome, so thanks again. **

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Alice's Point of View:

I'd kept the James secret from two weeks now, and I absolutely hated myself. I hadn't even told Madge about it yet, I was too disgusted with myself. It wouldn't make me feel as bad if I'd only kissed him once, but that was not the case. James and I hooked up more often than not in broom closets and empty classrooms, anywhere that Carver or my father wouldn't catch us. It would be fun if it wasn't so nerve wracking.

"What's wrong, love? You're a nervous wreck lately," Carver asked one day when we were cuddling up together on the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Carver was such a good guy, I honestly didn't deserve him. I was supposed to be a good girl who dated good boys, but James was so sexy that it killed me. I couldn't stop him even if I tried, I was addicted to him.

"It's nothing, babe. I'm just really worried about the Herbology test that we have tomorrow," I said, making something up off the top of my head.

"Your dad's the professor, why don't you ask him to help you? I'm sure he'd tutor you if you needed it," Carver suggested before pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

I felt guilt swelling up inside of me yet again; it was all I seemed to feel anymore. I knew that I needed to tell someone about this soon before I exploded. I stood up quickly and shoved all of my things into my backpack.

"I have to go talk to Madge. I'll see you later, Carver," I said, squeezing his hand before running away to find my best friend.

I found her sitting in the library with a huge book sitting open in front of her and her asleep. I smiled before walking over and sitting down at the table with her, poking her hand to rouse her. She jumped up and looked around wildly before her eyes landed on me and she relaxed.

"Merlin, Alice, you scared my knickers off!" she shouted, making Madam Pince glare at her and shush her from behind her desk.

"I have to talk to you about something that's such a secret that no one knows about it. It could ruin everything that I've worked so hard for this year, but it's tearing me apart. I have to tell someone about it," I said, twisting my hair around my finger nervously.

Madge's eyes light up at that and she leaned forward. "Tell me all about it! I'm your best friend; that means we shouldn't have any secrets."

I took a deep breath before leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "You can't react like I know you're going to, okay? I've been hooking up with James behind Carver's back for the last two weeks."

She would've shrieked if I hadn't slapped a hand over her mouth. When I was sure that she wasn't going to get us both into trouble, I moved my hand off of her. She was so shocked that she didn't respond at first, she just looked at me.

"I don't even know who you are anymore, Alice! How could you cheat on Carver, he's so perfect," Madge said sadly, looking at me with big eyes.

"I don't know, Madge, I don't know how I did it. Carver's the greatest guy that I've ever met, but there's something about James that I can't ignore," I whispered.

"Okay, I've played the concerned friend so I get to play the bestie now. How good of a kisser is James?" she asked, giggling a little bit under her breath.

I laughed in response to her giggles. "He's fantastic, Madge! I can't believe that I waited so long for it to happen. The only bad thing is what I'm doing to Carver; he's such a good person."

* * *

If I thought it was hard to keep the James thing a secret from Carver before, when classes started it got even worse. He would sit in the back as always, and I could feel his gaze on me the entire class. I tried to ignore him and focus on the potion I was supposed to be brewing, but it was next to impossible.

I ended up spilling the bat wings all over the floor and contaminating them. I groaned before excusing myself from Carver and going back to the supply closet to grab some extra. I was digging through vials when I heard the door shut and the lock slide into place.

I turned around quickly over to be pinned to the wall behind me by a body. Hands held my wrists against the wall and lips pressed themselves to mine. I knew immediately that it was James by the way his mouth moved against mine.

I groaned and tried to pull my hands out of his grip, but he held strong. I wanted to knot my fingers in his hair, or hold onto him, anything to help me keep myself tethered. He didn't want that, he wanted to be in control.

As much as I hated to, I pulled myself away from him. I was breathless when I spoke, "We can't keep doing this, James. I have a boyfriend, and I'm not a cheater."

"I hate to break it to you, princess, but you're already cheating," he winked before stepping back and letting go of me.

"Don't be such a jerk, Potter. I don't have to do this with you, you know? Carver is great and he's the one that I should be making out with in supply closets," I said, rubbing my forehead.

James must have seen how confused I was about everything because he reached out to me. I tried to keep him from touching me, but the closet was only so big. He had his arms back around me, but this time he was trying to comfort me.

"No, this can't happen. I'm not this person, James, or at least I don't want to be. I'm sorry, but this little tryst is over," I said, pushing him away, grabbing the bat wings, and turned to walk back to class.

He grabbed my wrist and spun me around so I had to look at him again. "Look at me and tell me that you don't feel anything for me. If you can do that, then I'll stop pushing you and let you be with Carver."

I swallowed thickly before meeting his deep brown eyes. They were so warm and loving that I almost melted right there on the spot. I couldn't lie to him if I tried, I knew that much already, so this was pointless.

"I can't do that, and you know it. I'm in a relationship with Carver because I care about him, and I'm in a secret relationship with you because I care about you," I argued.

"You can't do that, Alice. You've got to make a decision over us. I'm not going to pressure you into choosing me, that wouldn't be right; I'm just going to tell you that I want you to be happy. With whomever you want to be with," he said, kissing my forehead before walking out of the closet.

I stood there and tried to collect myself after all of that. James Potter was supposed to be the rebel without a cause, not the boy telling me he just wanted me to be happy. That wasn't how this was supposed to work; I was supposed to be with him because of the thrill and with Carver because he was safe.

Everything was turned upside down and I didn't know how to fix it. I really needed to talk to someone who had been through this before. I didn't know if Mum had been in _this _particular situation, but I was sure she could help guide me through it. That's what Mums were for, was it not?


	12. What If?

**This story is winding to a close. I think the next chapter is going to be the last, but that's for another time. Here's this chapter and it's a bit of a doozy.**

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Alice's Point of View:

I owled mom and made plans to meet up at the Three Broomsticks on Saturday. I didn't tell her the details, only that I needed her opinion and guidance on something. She was curious by nature so I knew she would make room for me.

I woke up early that morning to soak in the prefect's bath. I had my hair tied up on top of my head as the water went up over my shoulders. I closed my eyes and laid my head back on the towel that I'd placed on the stone wall of the tub.

I let out a breath and let the warm water soak away my stress. If you would've told me two years ago that I would have a boyfriend, I would've thought that you were mental. Now I've got a boyfriend and a boy that I'm hooking up with on the side. I must be the mental one, right?

After my soak, I got dressed in a warm sweater dress and braided my hair messily to the side. I pulled on my knee-high socks and my boots on over them. I was going to be warm today, and I was going to look cute at the same time. That was all I'd done since November started, I hated being cold.

I was walking back upstairs to put my dirty clothes in my bin when I ran into Carver. He grabbed me by my shoulders and held me up so I didn't hit the floor. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek before going back towards the Common Room.

"Hey Alice, can we talk for a minute?" Carver asked, running to catch up with me.

"Uhm, yeah," I said hesitantly. "Can we do it in the Common Room? I have to drop off these clothes before I meet up with my mum in Hogsmeade."

"Of course, as long as we talk," he said, and I could tell that something was wrong.

When we were up in the Common Room, I sat on the couch with him next to me. Instead of sitting right next to me, he put almost a foot of space between us. There wasn't a doubt in my mind, he'd found out about me and James hooking up.

"Is there something wrong with me, Alice?" he finally asked his voice breaking as he spoke.

That threw me for a loop. He thought that there was something wrong with him? The poor, sweet hearted boy was almost _too_ soft sometimes.

"No, there's nothing wrong with you. I'm just trying to figure some things out," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm sorry that it's upsetting you."

"Oh that's good, I really thought that I'd upset you," he said, moving over and holding me close to him. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else, too."

I raised my brows and looked at him curiously. "What's wrong, babe?"

"I know that we've only been together for about three months, but I think I'm falling in love with you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

I felt something inside of me break, and I knew that I was going to hell. Carver was in love with me and I was sneaking around behind his back. I didn't know what to say to him, I wasn't not falling in love with him, but I wasn't falling as hard as he was.

"That's awesome, but I think I hear Madge yelling for me. We'll talk later," I said before running out of the Common Room.

My guilt level only rose as I walked into the Three Broomsticks to meet up with mum. What was she going to say when she found out what I've done? She loved Carver and already warned me about James.

"Hey baby, I've missed you something awful!" she said as soon as she saw me. She pulled me close to her and hugged me tight, "I can't believe that you've grown this much in two months!"

"I haven't grown that much, mum. Stop being such a drama queen," I said, pushing her off of me. "I have to talk to you about something really important that's eating me alive."

She sat down at the table she'd been at previously and gestured for me to do the same. "It must be pretty important if hugging isn't on the list of things to do."

"Carver and I have been dating for three months now, and he just told me that he's falling in love with me," I said, clasping my hands on the table in front of me.

"That's a little bit fast, but it's really great. Carver's a good guy for you, Ali," mum said, patting my clasped hands.

"That's not why I'm here with you, I'm here because," I paused, looking around for prying eyes. I leaned forward and whispered, "I've been cheating on him with James Potter."

"Alice Marie Longbottom, I raised you better than that!" she said, drawing some people's attention over to us.

"It's not like I chose it, mum. I really like Carver, but there's something about James that I can't resist. I need your guidance," I said quieter after the people had looked away.

"You've definitely gotten yourself into quite a conundrum, daughter dearest. You need to tell Carver about James, it's the only thing that's fair to him. I can't give you the answer, it's something that you've got to do for yourself," she said, sipping her coffee.

"Is there nothing else you can tell me? I could've gotten this from Madge," I said with a sigh. "Please, mum, I really need your help."

"Which one of them could you see yourself with in the future? Not like tomorrow or next week, but in the far away future with kids and a house of your own," she asked. "Which one can you be happy with for the rest of your life?"

Carver had such a good heart and an amazing personality. He would make a good husband for anyone; he would provide for me and a family and keep us safe. The only problem was he might be _too_ safe for me to be happy.

James was the exact opposite of Carver. He was a livewire, something that you could never predict. He was crazy and wild, and he made my pulse race. I craved him in a way that both thrilled me and terrified me.

"Carver is the safest answer; he would give me an amazing future. But James keeps me on my toes and makes me want to wake up in the morning," I said dreamily. "I'm afraid that I'll get bored with Carver, mum."

"I don't think you need to talk to me at all, love. I think that you've already made your decision," she said with a knowing smile. "Just listen to your heart; it'll never lead you in the wrong direction."

That was what I was afraid of, I was afraid that she'd see through me. She was my mum, after all, and she knew me better than anyone. She knew who I would choose, even if it wasn't the best choice for me.

"Thank you, mum. I love you," I said, squeezing her hand in mine. "Sometimes I just need to talk to you to make sure what I'm doing is right."

"I don't know if he's the right choice in the long run, but he's what you want right now. You may regret it, but you're going to regret it even more if you don't take that chance. A life spent asking 'what if' is a life wasted," she answered.

James Potter wasn't going to be my 'what if.'

* * *

**I got to my mom about everything, so I thought I'd have Alice do it too. **


	13. Heartbreaker

**I actually teared up a little bit when I was writing this chapter. It gets pretty intense in a few spots, I hope it still works.**

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Alice's Point of View:

I walked back into Hogwarts like a woman on a mission. I needed to go find Carver and talk to him about everything that's been going on between James and I. After I do that, I needed to go find James and make sure that he knew he was what I wanted.

I saw the twins standing at the foot of the stairs that lead to the boys' dormitories so I knew that Carver couldn't be far away. I walked up to them and waved a hand, greeting them. I'd known Lorcan and Lysander for most of my life, and they'd always been really happy boys, a little bit weird, but happy nonetheless. It was different this time; they were both glaring at me viciously.

"What's wrong with you, Alice? How could you do that to Carver?" Lysander asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at me.

"What are you talking about, Lysander? What did I do to Carver?" I asked, fear prickling the skin on the back of my neck.

"Don't act so innocent, Madge told us about you and James," Lysander said, walking up to me. "He's devastated; he thought that you loved him."

"Where is he? I need to talk to him about all of this," I said, hysterics bubbling up inside of me. "He needs to hear my side of the story."

"I don't really think that you talking to him is going to do anything but make it worse. Just stay away from him, okay?" Lorcan said.

"I can talk to her, guys. I'm a big boy," Carver said, scaring all of us when he stood at the bottom of the stairs. "I actually want to hear her side of the story."

We walked out into the halls; they were all empty because most of the kids were still out in Hogsmeade. I couldn't figure out how to tell him about James so I just kept walking quietly. Eventually he stopped us and grabbed my wrist so I was forced to look at him.

"Are you cheating on me with him, Alice?" he finally asked, his blue eyes were so sad it made tears fill mine. "Tell me the truth."

"I never meant to hurt you, Carver. I am so sorry that you had to find out from Madge, I was coming to tell you about it," I said, trying to keep my tears at bay.

"How long has this been going on, Alice?" he asked sadly.

"Officially it's been going on since Madge's birthday, but we've been kind of talking on and off since before the school year started," I said, figuring I owed him complete honesty.

"You've been cheating on me with Potter since _Madge's birthday_? Are you serious?" Carver shouted at me, making me jump a little bit.

"Yes, but like I said, I never meant to hurt you. I really care about you, Carver," I said, placing a timid hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged me off and a look of realization flashed across his face. "That's why you reacted the way you did when I said that I was falling in love with you! You must've thought I sounded so fucking stupid! I bet you even made fun of me to your Mum today."

"No, Carver, I swear I never did anything like that to you. I really do care about you," I said, my tears finally breaking free and coursing down my face.

"Don't you dare fucking cry, Alice! You did this to me, you don't get to act like you're the victim!" he screamed, making the portraits around us glare at him before shuffling out of their frames.

I started sobbing, clutching my elbows to my chest and trying to not choke. "I'm so sorry. I promise you that I never meant for it to turn out like this. I never meant to cheat on you, Carver."

"Stop apologizing for something that you chose to do. You're not sorry that you hurt me, you're sorry that you got caught," he said. Then he shook his head and said, "This is utter bullshit. I'm so done with you; don't ever talk to me again. Hell, don't even look at me or breathe the same air as me. I really don't care what you do or don't do as long as it's not around me."

He turned around and stormed away, leaving me alone and sobbing in the hall. I dropped down to my knees and cried, knowing I had no right to. I hurt one of the nicest people that I've ever met in my entire life; I was the worst person in the entire world.

"Button, is that you?" I heard my dad's voice ask sometime later.

I'd moved from the middle of the hall to the side, leaning up against the wall. "Hey daddy, I've had a rough day."

He moved over and sat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "If that boy hurt you, I'll hex him into oblivion. I'm sure I can convince Harry and Ron to overlook his murder."

"No, daddy, you can't do that. He didn't do anything wrong, I hurt him," I said, wiping my face. "I cheated on him with James, and I messed everything up."

To his credit, dad didn't seem _too_ pissed that I was hooking up with James. "Alice, your mother and I raised you better than that. What made you cheat on Carver?"

I pulled my knees up, wrapped my arms around them, and rested my head on them as I thought. "I don't know, daddy. I guess I just wasn't getting what I needed from him."

"If you weren't happy you should've talked to him about it. You were always taught to talk things out," he said as he pulled his arm away and turned to face me head on.

"I know, dad. I'm going to go talk to James now because I've already mucked up everything with Carver so I figured I should do it with him too," I said, pushing up and offering dad my hand.

"I don't know if I can agree that that is the best idea, but you're too much like your mother for me to talk you out of it," he said before kissing the top of my head and walking off.

I looked for James for almost an hour before finally giving up my hunt. I was pretty much exhausted from the day I'd had and just wanted to go to bed. I walked into the Common Room and saw that Lorcan, Lysander, and Carver were all sitting on the couch. I didn't even look their way; I just walked straight up the stairs and into the girls' dorms.

Madge was lying on her bed with her Transfigurations' book sitting in front of her. I hadn't really thought about it before, but when I saw her my anger welled up. She betrayed my trust and went to Carver.

"Where the hell do you get off telling Carver secrets that I told you?" I asked, forgetting about being exhausted. "I told you that as my best friend, and that means that you were sworn to secrecy."

"You were just playing around with him while you hooked up with James! You were never going to tell him so I had to!" she said, rolling off of the bed and rounding on me.

"I was going to tell him earlier, but it turns out that my best friend already did. How could you betray me like that?" I asked, my traitorous tears coming back.

"Carver was right, you are playing the victim! It's crazy," she said before turning and laying back down on her bed.

I turned around and walked back outside of the room. I didn't even look at the Common Room as I ran out of there. I was walking around aimlessly when I heard obnoxious giggles around the corner. I kept walking and figured that the couple was so lost in the moment that they wouldn't notice me.

I knew it was karma, but it still felt like I'd been kicked when I saw who it was. James had some blonde girl pushed up against the wall and he was kissing her neck. The tears coursed even harder down my cheeks at the sight before me. I'd given up almost everything for him and he'd already started chasing another skirt.

"You're never going to change, are you, Potter?"

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**I thought maybe I'd give a few more plot twists before ending the story. **

**Review?**


	14. Breakups and Firewhiskey

**I couldn't just have James and Alice magically get together because she and Carver broke up. It didn't seem to be in character for either Alice or James to be that way. James seemed to always have a fear of never being good enough, and Alice seems to have a fear of being a _bad girl_. Their fears are keeping them from being together. **

**I hope that kind of clears some stuff up for you guys, happy reading. **

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Alice's Point of View:

"You're never going to change, are you, Potter?"

He pushed off of the wall and turned to face me with large eyes. He looked like a dear caught in the headlights, I'd never understood that phrase until right now. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tried to tuck in his shirt, but I was already turning around and walking away.

I was trying to get away from him as quickly as I could. I really didn't want to deal with him and his shit after all the stuff I'd already been through. I felt his hand wrap around my wrist and I let him turn me around.

"What you saw wasn't what you think, I swear. She pulled me in for a kiss, and I was convinced that you were going to choose Carver. I couldn't handle it, Alice," he said, his eyes begging me to believe him.

"It doesn't matter what you were convinced of, we weren't a couple. You can make out with whoever you want to, Potter. I was coming to find you to tell you that I broke up with Carver so we didn't have to sneak around anymore," I said, smiling even though my chest felt like it was going to fall in on itself.

"Alice, please don't push me away. If you've broken up with Carver that means that we can be together now. You should be happy," he said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"It's not that simple, James. This just reminded me off all of the reasons I couldn't be with you in the beginning that I'd forgotten. You can't stick to just one girl, and I understand that that's not going to change. I wouldn't want to change you from who you are just so we could work. One day you're going to find a girl who's okay with you being with multiple girls at once, but that's not me. Goodbye, James," I said, standing on my tiptoes and kissing him before turning and walking back to the Common Room.

I clenched my eyes tightly to stop myself from crying. I shouldn't even be upset with him; I should be upset with myself. I was so stupid; I lost an amazing guy because I was so blind. I didn't understand people when they said that you could be blinded by lust before, but after tonight I knew what they meant all too well.

I walked back into the Common Room and saw that Lysander, Lorcan, and Carver had gone somewhere else. I didn't have to worry about them watching my every move, which made my shoulders relax a sliver. Then I remembered that I had to go into my room where Madge was. My shoulders hunched back up and I crossed my arms securely over my chest.

I walked inside and saw that Madge was still lying on her bed. She didn't even look up at me, and I was actually really glad about it. I grabbed my pajamas and left again to go to the prefect's bath to soak for a while. The last thing I wanted was to be around people right now, so I figured that would be a great idea.

* * *

After my bath was finished, I could tell that it was really late by the chill that took over the castle halls. I pulled the sleeves of my sweater down over my hands as I made my through them. I was in no hurry to get back to the Common Room; I didn't want to see any of the people of Gryffindor right now.

I walked slowly by myself through the halls, trying to clear my head. I'd put myself exactly where I am by making stupid decisions. I'd lied to Carver and tried to get Madge to go along with it, but she knew it was wrong and did the right thing. Then there was James, I was so dumb to think that he would change for me.

It was selfish of me to do all of those things. I was so selfish, maybe that's why I didn't have any friends before this year. Well, by the look of things now, I was going to go back to that. I wasn't going to talk to Madge right now, even if she was doing the right thing, I was still mad that she told Carver something that I told her in confidence. Then there were the twins and Carver, I would put money on them never talking to me again.

Great, I was going to become the bookworm that I was last year again. As bad as that sounded, I was actually okay with it. That way I would never get hurt or hurt anyone again. It was the best idea for everyone included.

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James' Point of View:

I was still standing in the spot Alice left me in ten minutes earlier. I wanted to chase after her again and tell her that she could change me all she wanted to. I wanted to get over the fear of her finding someone else so bad that I ruined any chance I had with her. I was seriously the most cowardly lion that's ever existed.

"What's wrong, boo? Who was that girl and why did you leave to go find her? We can go find a closet and I'll give you the night of your life," the blonde girl from earlier purred in my ear.

It wasn't hard to see why I'd chosen to hook up with her. She was a dead ringer for Alice if you were looking at her from a distance. Long blonde hair and blue eyes, but once you got closer you could tell that she didn't have the same glow that Alice had.

"Let's just end this here. I don't want to shag you in a closet anymore," I said. "Just go back to your Common Room and get some sleep."

She huffed and muttered something under her breath before strutting away. I was sure she was going to start some rumor about me and my anatomy that would be spread around the school by lunch tomorrow, but I didn't honestly care.

I made the lonely trek back to the Gryffindor Common Room and hope that I would run into Alice again. I wanted to apologize over and over again until she got so upset that she kissed me to shut me up. I'd seen my parents do it a billion times, it was actually one of the secret things I always wished she'd do.

I wanted to be in a relationship like my parents more than I'd admit. Mum loved dad even though he pushed her away to keep her safe. She loved him even when he _loved _someone else as he did her. That was what I wanted, someone who'd love me through everything. I would've had that with Alice if I didn't fuck it up already.

"Well if isn't the man of the hour," someone slurred and drew me out of my thoughts. Carver was standing outside the Common Room with a bottle of firewhiskey clutched in his hands. "You're the one everyone wants, the _bad boy_. You're the reason girls don't fall for good guys like me, they want danger and all that shit."

"Carver, buddy, you're drunk and you need to get to bed before you do something stupid," I said, holding up my hands and trying to wrangle him into the Common Room.

"You don't get to fuck up my relationship and then try and help me out. Just leave me alone and go fuck Alice," he said, pushing me out of the way, or at least trying to.

"Look, Carver, I know that cheating on you was a really terrible thing to do, but I won't let you bad mouth her. She made a bad decision, but that doesn't make her a bad person," I said, pushing his shoulders as hard as I could.

He went stumbling and his bottle of firewhiskey shattered on the cobblestones. He looked up at me in shock before stumbling over to me and pushing me too. Soon enough we were slamming into each other and throwing punches. I felt pain explode in my side and knew that he'd just hit my kidney so I kept punching at him, hoping to hurt him as much as he hurt me.

"Stupefy!"

My movements completely halted and I saw that Carver's had as well. I looked up and saw a terrified Alice standing a couple feet from us with her wand clutched in her hand. Her eyes got bigger when she looked at me and she rushed over.

"You two are completely mental! I can't believe that you two fought out in the open like this! What if I'd been a teacher or something like that?" she shouted, knocking us both onto our backs.

The spell wore off and Carver pushed himself up onto his feet. "Don't act like you care about me now, Alice. Just leave me alone."

I saw the hurt flash across her face, and it took all my restraint not to punch him again. "I'm sorry, I know it was stupid."

She just shook her head and wiped at my face. She then turned on her heel and walked into the Common Room, leaving me and Carver alone in the hall. He glared harshly before walking away from me. I just sat back down on the ground and tilted my head back, I was so stupid.

There was no way that Alice was going to get back with me when she'd seen me and carver fighting like we were. She probably thought I was even more of an ass than she already thought. That was so great.

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**I feel like the chapter was good, but the ending kind of sucked. I'm sorry, guys. **


	15. Real Talk

**This is the last chapter, and I tried to bring everything together. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following my story. It means a lot to me.**

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Alice's Point of View:

It had been exactly two weeks since I'd said a word to Madge. We shared a dorm, but we haven't shared a word with each other. It was almost pathetic, actually, how much we avoided each other. I wasn't even mad about it anymore; I was just upset that she had broken my trust like that. Best friends were supposed to have each other's' backs, but she stabbed me in mine.

I didn't go to Hogsmeade yesterday; I stayed at the castle and got a head start on my homework. I was now done with it all the way up to February. To make things even worse, my birthday was in four days and I had no one to celebrate it with. The last thing I wanted to do was go be a loser and have a party with just my dad.

"Hey Alice, do you think that you and me could talk for a minute?" Madge asked, sitting down beside me at the table I was sitting at in the library.

I closed the book that I was skimming through and sat my hands on top of it. "Of course we can. Why wouldn't we be able to talk to each other?"

"Okay, that was fair and I deserved it. I just want to apologize to you about everything that's happened to us. I miss you," she said, her eyes were tearing up as she spoke to me.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Madge. You can't just apologize and expect us to be best friends again like nothing happened. You ruined my life," I said.

I knew I was being a tad bit overdramatic, but she deserved it. What was to say that she wouldn't stab me in the back again? I told her my biggest secret and she told the one person I was trying to keep it from.

"I know that I told Carver and I shouldn't have. I was just afraid that you weren't going to and that you were going to hurt him," she said, tears filling her eyes.

When she said that, it made everything become clear. "You're in love with Carver, aren't you?"

Her face went white before going completely red and she started to splutter. "I never- I mean he was your- I mean- I don't' know what I mean."

"Look, I don't fully forgive you yet. I know how hard relationships are, even when you're not in one. But if you go behind my back and tell someone something I told you, we're done forever. Do you understand?"

She nodded quickly and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I patted her back, but didn't hug her yet. I don't think I was ready for that just yet.

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"So, have you told Carver that you have a thing for him?" I asked at dinner that night. "I think he could use that, I did cheat on him. I'm sure that wasn't very good for his self-esteem."

"No, I don't want to be his rebound from you. I want him to see me and fall in love," she said dreamily. "You, on the other hand, need to see James Potter. He's a wreck lately."

"I don't ever want to talk about him again. I just want to forget about him and whatever it was that we had. It was all a lie; he says whatever he has to to get a girl in bed. I wasn't special," I said, picking at the carrots on my plate.

"Normally I would let you say that and disagree, but I want to talk to him. I need to know his side of the story," I said, sitting my fork down and looking down the table for him.

I caught his eye and gestured for him to follow me out of the Great Hall. I stood up and winked at Madge before straightening out my skirt. I walked out of the Hall with my head held high, like I was proud of what I was doing. I'm sure that the entire school new I was a cheater, and probably thought I was a slut, but I didn't really care that much.

"I know you told me that you were scared or whatever, but I think that's shit. If you just want me for sex, tell me about it, don't lie to my face. If not, then what the hell are we doing?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips. "I'm done playing, I want real answers."

"I don't deserve you at all, Alice. I fucked everything up and in the process messed up your life to. I just want you to be happy, whatever that means for me," he said, yanking a hand through his messy hair.

I remembered what he told me that night, and I knew what it was like to be afraid. I was scared that I wouldn't always be the good girl. I was afraid that I'd mess up and ruin everything, and because of that I did. I ruined Carver's life and my reputation.

"I don't know what to say. I understand what it's like to be scared of myself, James, but I want to talk to you. I don't want to go through it all by myself, and you can't either," I said, walking up to him and taking his fiddling hands into mine.

"I swear to Merlin that I won't ever cheat on you or hurt you again. I just need you to give me one more chance, please," he begged.

I knew it might be stupid, but I nodded and let him pull me into a kiss. He relaxed against me happily before holding me tightly in his arms. I could feel myself smiling against him and I knew that he was smiling too.

When we pulled away, we walked back into the Great Hall holding hands. I saw people look up at me and raise their eyebrows, but I just smiled happily. I just walked over to Madge and sat next to her, James keeping my hand in his.

"So are you two together officially now?" she asked.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to the side of my head as an answer. That seemed to catch a lot of attention too because I heard whispers start when it was over. I looked up at the teacher's table and saw my dad staring over at James and me. I knew that he and I were going to have a talk after dinner even before he mouthed it.

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"You're dating James Potter after you cheated on your boyfriend with him?" dad asked as soon as he and I were alone in his office.

"Daddy, I love him. He may not have the best history with girls, but he loves me and cares about me. You have to trust me, daddy," I said, taking his hand in mine and begging him with my eyes.

"I don't want to see you get hurt, Ali," he said with a sigh.

I didn't know what to say so I just hugged him. I knew that he was just trying to be a good father and keep me safe, but sometimes I had to make my own decisions. Even if James wasn't the _best _decision, he was mine.

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**Thank you, thank you, thank you. **


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